Awassi
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox sheep breed
The AwassiTemplate:Efn is a breed of dairy sheep of Near-Eastern fat-tailed type. It is the most widely distributed non-European dairy breed. It is known by many names, among them Arab, Baladi, Deiri, Gezirieh, Ivesi, Shami and Syrian.Template:R It is usually white with brown head and legs.
History
The Awassi is a traditional breed of dairy sheep of Near-Eastern fat-tailed type. Its origins are unknown, but it is thought to originate in the historic region of Mesopotamia – the area between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, now in modern Iraq and Syria.Template:R The breed name is thought to derive from that of Al-ʿAwās, a Bedouin tribe of northern Syria.Template:R It is the most widely distributed non-European dairy breedTemplate:R and the most numerous sheep breed of south-west Asia. It is the principal sheep of Iraq and Syria and the only indigenous sheep of Israel, Jordan and Lebanon.Template:R
It is reportedly present in eighteen countries in Africa, Asia and Europe, with a total population estimated in 2024 at Template:Val head.Template:R The largest population is reported by Turkey, where the Ivesi numbers approximately Template:Val head; other substantial populations are in Palestine (over Template:Val) and Lebanon (about Template:Val).Template:R A population in Syria of approximately Template:Val head was reported in 2006.Template:R
It has contributed to the development of several modern breeds, among them the Assaf, Israeli Awassi, Pak Awassi, Neimi and Shafali.Template:R
Characteristics
The Awassi is of moderate size, with average weights of Template:Val for ewes and Template:Val for rams; average heights are Template:Val and Template:Val respectively.Template:R The usual colouring is white with brown head and legs; the face may also be white, grey, black or spotted, and a solid-coloured brown or black coat occasionally occurs.Template:R The facial profile is convex and the ears pendulous.Template:R Rams are normally horned, ewes more often polled.Template:R Hyperthermia causes the fertility of rams to fall during the hot summer months, but it recovers rapidly when temperatures fall in the autumn.Template:R
Use
Although the Awassi is considered a dairy sheep, it is commonly reared for meat, for milk and for wool. In Syria it supplies all the wool, about 30% of all milk and about 80% of all red meat.Template:R In Iraq it is raised principally for meat.Template:R